SAC Sound-off: The State of Sportsmanship
April 17, 2012
This week, we asked our MHSAA Student Advisory Council -- made up of athletes representing nearly every sport the MHSAA sponsors -- if they've seen more or less sportsmanship during their high school sports careers.
Here's what they told us:
Good news
“I’ve seen an increase, especially on our golf team because we’ve made that a priority on the team. Also, our school has made it a bigger focus.” – Kalamazoo Hackett junior Abby Radomsky
“An increase most definitely has been seen in the department of sportsmanship throughout my high school career. … Due to the rising levels of leadership and drive shown by students and coaches to display that life skills are taught through sports, not only the sport.” – New Buffalo senior Lena Madison
“I have seen an increase in sportsmanship because I think the whole idea of ‘Good sports are winners’ has had an impact on student athletes.” – Rogers City junior Evan Lamb
“I have seen an increase overall, especially in my area. I have tried to spread the ideas of positive sportsmanship throughout the U.P., and many people have made the change. It’s pretty awesome.” – Rudyard senior Tyler Wilson
“I have seen an increase in sportsmanship because the idea of being a good sport has been brought to the forefront of high school sports by the MHSAA and the SAC.” – Portland St. Patrick junior Elle Lehman
For some right reasons
“As my teammates have matured, I think we have learned more about how crucial having good sportsmanship is to the success of the team.” – Pontiac Notre Dame Prep junior Carly Joseph
“I have seen an increase in sportsmanship because I feel more and more kids are playing for the love of the game and not only to win.” – Muskegon Catholic Central senior Alissa Jones
As athletes grow up
“I have seen an increase throughout my time in high school, mostly because of the increased maturity level and understanding of what is right.” – Grand Blanc senior Bailey Truesdell
“I have seen an increase in sportsmanship. I believe this is because there is an increase in the level of maturity.” – Vandercook Lake junior Thye Fischman
Somewhere in the middle
“I haven’t really noticed a change either way. I have never come in contact with very poor sportsmanship, which is probably why it seems to stay the same.” – Walled Lake Central junior Taylor Krumm
“I haven’t noticed an increase or a decrease in high school sports. I think high school athletes act the same as when I entered high school.” – Travis Clous, Benzie Central senior
Something to consider
“I think a decrease because as students grow up and become more comfortable playing, I think they forget what they have been taught and feel as though they are entitled. I know student that think the older they are, the more they know; so they talk back to coaches and players.” – Maria Buczkowski, Detroit Country Day senior
MHSAA, NFHS Learning Center Team Up to Provide Online Student Leadership Series
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
August 10, 2023
Leadership always has been one of the most valuable and applicable life skills developed by student-athletes participating in educational athletics. To assist in that development, the Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) and National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) have partnered to produce an online Student Leadership series designed to provide the latest research-based instruction to high schoolers throughout the United States.
The Student Leadership series is provided as part of the web-based NFHS Learning Center and includes two free courses focused on students – “Becoming a Leader” and “Leading Others” – with a third installment for coaches currently in production. All three are inspired by the latest research on how youth-aged athletes learn to lead.
This latest work builds on the MHSAA-produced “Captains Course” developed in 2015 with Michigan State University’s Institute for the Study of Youth Sports (ISYS). The “Captains Course” has been taken more than 100,000 times and is based on in-person “Captains Clinics” that MHSAA staff and ISYS conduct with thousands of students across Michigan each year.
Each student-focused segment of the new Student Leadership series takes 30-45 minutes to complete and includes frequent and quick activities designed to help students understand how they would apply leadership skills in real-life scenarios. Course instruction was created primarily in coordination with the MHSAA by a pair of nationally-recognized authorities on the subject: Jed Blanton, an assistant professor in kinesiology, recreation and sport studies at the University of Tennessee; and Scott Pierce, an associate professor in kinesiology and recreation at Illinois State University.
Both Blanton and Pierce have vast experience with youth athletics; both also formerly worked for the Institute for the Study of Youth Sports and served as graduate assistants at the MHSAA during their time at MSU, playing large roles in more than a decade of research conducted through coordination with the MHSAA’s 16-member Student Advisory Council. High school administrators, student leaders, and other researchers and mental performance consultants also contributed to the lessons taught in these courses. The NFHS produced the content, including all of the visuals and digital features, and the student-focused courses went live on the NFHS Learn website in mid-summer.
“We’ve taken a good program, and made it even better,” said MHSAA Assistant Director Andy Frushour, who coordinates the Association’s student services programs. “This is a program we do in person in Michigan, but our reach now is across the country – and these courses are free, hopefully allowing us to contribute to the development of even more student leaders.”
The “Becoming a Leader” course defines leadership styles and builds skills to help students consider themselves as leaders. “Leading Others” details how leaders put those skills into practice including during challenging situations. Blanton and Pierce worked closely with student advisory groups from various states to make the research content relatable to school sports participants. All voices heard in the courses belong to high school students – including athletes from Michigan, Illinois and Washington who provided 30 testimonials that describe leadership in action.
The “Coaches Course” will provide the same information as presented to high school students, but in a way that explains how coaches can use these tools to personalize leadership training among their athletes as they seek to recognize which types of leaders they have on a team, and which types are missing and need to be developed.
“The NFHS is grateful for the opportunity to work with the MHSAA as well as Dr. Blanton and Dr. Pierce,” said Dan Schuster, the NFHS’ director of educational services. “We believe these student leadership courses will provide valuable information across the country and will contribute to the improvement of the interscholastic experience for young people.”
Video previews provide additional information on both Student Leadership courses.Click for direct links to “Becoming a Leader" and “Leading Others.”